NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-18-2025 5PM EST

Episode Date: November 18, 2025

NPR News: 11-18-2025 5PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. President Trump welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman to the White House today. It's his first Washington visit since the 2018 killing of Washington Post-journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents. U.S. intelligence determined the Crown Prince approved the operation. Trump dismissed questions about Khashoggi's killing. As far as this gentleman is concerned, he's done a phenomenal job. You're mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about.

Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happened, but he knew nothing about it. And we can leave it at that. You don't have to embarrass our guests by asking a question like that. During the meeting, Trump and the Crown Prince discussed several deals, including plans for the U.S. to sell Saudi Arabia F-35 fighter jets. The Crown Prince also said Saudi Arabia would invest almost $1 trillion in the United States. A panel of federal judges in El Paso has ruled Texas cannot use its redistricted congressional map for next year's midterm elections. It's a major blow to President Trump's effort to get states to redistrict so Republicans can win more seats in the House.

Houston Public Media's Andrew Schneider reports the state is planning to appeal. The three-judge panel issued an injunction saying the plaintiffs were likely to prove a trial that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 map. Democratic Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia represents. a Houston district that would have been dramatically redrawn. Well, obviously, I'm elated. We all spend much time, and we kept saying these are racially jury-mendered maps, and now the judge has agreed. They, in fact, say substantial evidence, not just evidence, but substantial.

Both Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton say they will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The High Court would need to act swiftly as the registration period for the 26 Texas primaries is nearly halfway over. For NPR news, I'm Andrew Schneider in Houston. A federal judge in Washington has ruled that META did not violate competition laws when it acquired Instagram and WhatsApp. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, it's a major setback for the Trump administration which sought to break up the tech giant. Federal regulators sued META in 2020, alleging it was an illegal monopoly that broke competition laws when it purchased Instagram and WhatsApp. But since then, one major force has changed the social media landscape, TikTok. And this

became a major part of META's defense over a seven-week trial in April, that it does not monopolize social media apps because of TikTok's dominance. The court has now agreed, dismissing the government's push that META should be broken up. It's one of five government antitrust cases against Big Tech. Results have been mixed. Meta's victory follows Google losing two cases, and cases against Amazon and Apple are still pending. Bobby Allen and PR News. The U.S. stocks fell again today following a global sell-off that swept across Europe and Asia. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says Ukrainian citizens working for Russia are suspected of blowing up a railway line in Poland.

The line is crucial for delivering aid to Ukraine. Tusk calls it an unprecedented active sabotage. The Kremlin spokesperson responded by accusing Poland of Russophobia. Warner Brothers' discovery is now for sale. The legendary conglomerate with film and TV studios streaming services and cable channels is accepting bids until Thursday. NPR's Mandelite del Barco has more on what theater owners want in a new owner. Warner Brothers has been making movies since 1923. The studio is responsible for the first talkie feature, The Jazz Singer. Wait a minute. You ain't heard nothing yet.

Warner Brothers made Casablanca. He's looking at you, kid. And other classics from 2001 of Space Odyssey to Barbie and all those Looney Tunes cartoons. What's up, Jack? Three years ago, Warner Brothers merged with Discovery. Now there's speculation that Paramount Skydance could take over, or Netflix, Amazon, Comcast, or an entirely new investor. Daniel La Rhea of box office media says theater owners hope the buyer

continues to release films in the cinemas. As long as we have more movies, folks in the movie theater industry support any business decision that gets us there. Cinefiles want that too. Mandalay de Barco, NPR News. Britain's Royal Mint is celebrating Freddie Mercury, with a new coin design. The coin marks 40 years since his iconic live aid performance. It features an image of the Queen Frontman with a musical stave representing his vocal range. This is NPR news from Washington.